Local News

Baby boomers still going strong

Newmanstown resident Dave Piccone of Lil' Ragu performs at the Fleetwood Blues Festival. Piccone, 57, started playing guitar 41 years ago and still plays with two bands. LEBANON DAILY NEWS - MARYLOUISE SHOLLY

You might think twice about meeting Barry Kline Sr. in the proverbial dark alley. A tall, imposing man, heavily tattooed and with a thick beard, shaved head, piercing blue eyes and a voice that sounds as though he could spit gravel, it's apparent he's not someone to be fooled around with.

A circle of black bats are tattooed around Kline's neck. Other tattoos cover his large arms, while his allegiance to Harley-Davidson is evident by his black Harley shirt and cap. Kline's been a biker since he was 16, when he used to "borrow" his dad's Harley and take it for a run. Jeans and tough work boots complete his ensemble now.

Kline's idea of a good time is to hang out at the Smokehaus restaurant and bar in Robesonia and have a few drinks.

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"I just like to laugh and have fun," Kline said, then added thoughtfully, "Maybe I'll go mow the grass at some point ... but maybe not."

For a few years, Kline was the caretaker for his ailing mother (reference, looks can be deceiving), but now, its pals at the bar, good conversation and late nights that speak to him.

"I had a great childhood," Kline said.

Local celebrity Dave Piccone plays lead guitar for two bands: Lil' Ragu and Burning House. When he's not playing, he'll sometimes stop by the Smokehaus to check out other bands or talk to buddies. He also teaches guitar and drums, giving lessons from a studio in his Newmanstown home.

He started playing guitar 41 years ago, he said, and still earns his living with the bands.

"As a kid, I started out as every Italian kid does, on the accordion, then I learned drums, then guitar," Piccone said.

He plays in public about six times a month.

"I cut back in the last couple of years," Piccone said. "I used to play 125 gigs a year. That's when I was on the road with a traveling band."

Along with teaching drums and guitar and playing in two bands, Piccone also likes to ride his Harleys, (he has two of them) shoot trap, and, with the help of wife, Tina, take care of his grandkids.

While Piccone may still be a heavy rocker, he also collects trains for his grandkids.
Piccone retired from the mundane world of employment when he was 50, after putting in 30 years with the Carpenter Steel Mill in Reading.
"People thought I was crazy, but I had enough," Piccone said. "My kids were almost grown, and I told everyone, when I get to 30 years, I'm done."
Piccone said he has no regrets about leaving the steel mill.
"It's kind of like the hitting the number without actually hitting the number," he laughed.

Other than "a few minor aches and pains," Piccone said he feels like he's in his 40s.

"Maybe not at 6:30 in the morning, but after a cup of coffee, say, about 9 a.m. I've got to ease into the day," Piccone said.

Donna Jacobs of Robesonia was born in 1960. But the way she figures, she just reached drinking age.

"I am still 21," Jacobs said emphatically. "And I feel that way because of my friends and family. They keep me young."

An employee of the Lebanon VA Medical Center, where she works in medical billing, Jacobs said running after four grandkids has rejuvenating effects.

But, nothing can top the fresh-air feeling of riding a motorcycle, she said, explaining that road trips are her favorite form of recreation.

Scott, who was recently laid off from XO Communications in Wyomissing, is using his free time to job-hunt.

At 50, Scott Jacobs said he agrees with his wife, that spending time with friends and family is comfortable, and fun. Being 50 is kind of irrelevant, he said.

"Honestly, I still feel about the same as I did at 30," he said. "I still work out every day. When I was 30, I was a drill sergeant and I'm doing the same things now as I did then - push-ups, sit-ups and a 2-mile run. As long as I can pass the military PT (physical test), I'm happy."

Pushing back the U.S, Army Corps cap on his brow, Scott Jacobs said, "I'm still doing it all."